by Robin Kaye
“I ride a Ducati.” Jackson cracked his beer and took a swig.
“A crotch rocket?”
“No, I went for the Diavel.”
Slater whistled through his teeth. “Nice.”
He shrugged. “I like it.” He didn’t get to ride it enough, but then that was the story of his life. No time.
“What’s not to like?”
Jax unwrapped his burger. He hadn’t wanted something so badly since the first time he’d had a hot, naked woman in his bed. Though the way he was feeling right now, he’d probably leave the woman and take the burger. He was starving. He took a bite, groaned in ecstasy, and talked around the mouthful. “So where do you ride?”
“I took a trip from Seattle to Banff this fall. It was fun—cold as hell, but fun.”
“Sounds like a good time. I’ve skied there. It’s beautiful; it must be nice with all the fall colors. But nothing beats New Hampshire and Vermont when the leaves change. If you’re around next fall, we should go out for a weekend.”
He caught Rocki’s surprised look. “What? I can be nice.”
“When plied with alcohol.”
“It certainly doesn’t hurt.”
Slater laughed and raised his beer. “So what do you do when you’re not tree skiing?”
“I’m in investments. I’m a fund manager.”
“Aren’t you a little young for that?”
Slater didn’t look any older than he was. He was one to talk. “I graduated high school early and went into Wharton’s five-year BA, MBA program.”
Rocki hated what he did and he saw her gearing up for another onslaught of lectures. “It didn’t hurt that he had family connections. The uncles are grooming him. All work and no play makes Jackson a boring man.”
“Hey, I was taking time off. You’re the one who couldn’t get away. Which makes me wonder why you couldn’t take a long weekend.” He looked from Slater to Rocki and back. “How long have you and Rocki known each other?”
“A couple of weeks. We met when I went home to help out my old man—he owns the bar where Rocki’s band plays.”
“You’re Pete Calahan’s son?” Shit. He set his burger and beer on the rolling table “Teddy said he knew your father, but he didn’t elaborate and I didn’t put it together.”
“You know Pop?”
Oh yeah, he knew Pete—what kind of brother would he be if he hadn’t checked out the place where his sister played. But then over the years, he and Pete had done some business—not that Slater and Rocki needed to know that. “We’ve talked.”
“Yeah, why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“How’s he really doing after the heart attack?”
“I don’t think he’s a hundred percent yet, but he’s doing well.”
Jackson rested back against the pillows. “That’s good.” He liked the old man, and he liked the fact Pete kept an eye on Rocki.
“Pop invited you down for the holidays. He thought it was about time you met the whole crew.”
Jax caught his sister’s eye and smiled. Oh yeah, she was going to be pissed. “I’m out of here in two days and can’t go back to work right away. Since Grace and Teddy are going on a cruise, that would be great.”
Rocki’s brows furrowed. “Since when?”
“Since we bought them the cruise for their Christmas present. I sent you the e-mail. They’re heading over to Europe on the twentieth.”
“Oh, well that was nice of us.”
“I thought so. I was just going to hang out here alone since Rocki wasn’t planning to come up, so this will be great. I’d love to spend the holidays in New York and meet all of your friends.”
Rocki rolled her eyes.
He wondered if Slater realized he just handed Jax an engraved invitation to play concerned big brother and keep an eye on her and Slater.
“Jax, Slater has to get home soon. When do you think you’ll be able to travel?”
“As soon as I’m discharged. I just have to come back in six weeks for another CT scan.”
“Are you sure?”
“That’s what the cute nurse said when she asked me out. I’m not allowed behind the wheel though—she offered door-to-door service.”
Rocki held up her hand. “Please, I really don’t want to know.”
Jackson looked into his bag. “Hey, either of you have any extra ketchup?”
Rocki searched her bag. “No.”
“Would you mind taking a run to the cafeteria and getting me some?”
She shot him a warning look but really couldn’t get out of going. After all, a guy needed ketchup when he ate onion rings.
“Fine.” She stood and looked from him to Slater and back, as though she was worried about the man. “Do you want anything while I’m down there?”
Slater looked over his half-eaten meal. “No, thanks, sweetheart. I’m good.”
Teddy had said he checked out Slater—but then Teddy was a whole lot nicer than Jax was. After all, Teddy still thought Jax was a great guy. Maybe he was in some respects but when it came to dating—not so much. He certainly wouldn’t want a guy like him dating Rocki.
Jax waited for the door to click shut before he began the interrogation. This first session would have to be fast—knowing Rocki, she’d be back in less than five minutes.
• • •
Rocki had been a mess since leaving Slater with Jax in his hospital room. Now that they were home, she was even more worried. Slater hadn’t needed another grilling after the day he’d had, and if she knew her brother—and she did—he’d been waiting to jump all over Slater’s case.
When she’d returned with the ketchup, Slater looked no worse for wear, but Jax was quiet—especially after she asked him if he was finished doing his impersonation of Colonel Klink.
Slater hung his jacket in the mudroom after depositing the empty beer cans into the recycling. He apparently spent the entire drive home counting to ten . . . over and over and over again. He put his arm around her and kissed her temple. “Rocki, I love you but you have to understand, I’m not some wet-behind-the-ears kid who can’t handle a man-to-man talk.”
She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. “Yeah, well, I’m not a teenage girl who needs her big brother to check out her boyfriends.” She pretended the cap was Jax’s neck and still couldn’t rip the damn thing off.
Slater took it from her, cracked the seal, and handed it back before he grabbed another beer. “I know that, and you know that; unfortunately it’s news to your brother. But, sweetheart, you don’t need to protect me. I handled it, and then you come in like an avenging angel intent on rescuing me. Your brother didn’t bother me. You thinking he could does.”
“So do you have a rule book I can have a copy of? Because right now, I’m feeling pretty clueless. Oh, and if you’re mad at me for what I said to my brother, you’re going to be really pissed after you find out what I said to Storm.”
He groaned. “You called Storm?”
“If someone upset me the way Storm upset you, wouldn’t you want to blister their ears? And you might want to think long and hard about what you say now, because this conversation has all the earmarks of making you sound like a male chauvinist pig.”
“Is it chauvinist for me to want to protect you?”
“No, but it’s chauvinist for you to think that I don’t want to do the same for you.”
He shook his head. “There’s no way I’m ever going to win this one, is there?”
“Nope, so you might as well concede gracefully.”
“Fine, but you have to understand that I’m just a guy with the whole fragile male ego problem. We live to feel needed and we’re protective of our women. If our women try to protect us, we get accused of hiding behind their skirts and that’s a hard thing to overcome.”
“So this is about mal
e hierarchy?”
“Yeah, pretty much. We may have evolved but we still pound our chest—it’s in the genes, sweetheart. And come on, admit it, you wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“Maybe. But you can’t expect me to stand aside when I see someone taking potshots at you either. I might not pound my chest but I do believe in sharpening my claws.”
“Right. I have a mental picture. What did Storm say?”
“Not much, the man couldn’t get a word in edgewise. I reminded him that not too long ago he was the one freaking out, just driving through the Red Hook Houses, so he had no room to talk.”
“Man, you’re cruel.”
“Only when warranted.”
He tugged her toward the back stairs. “Come on, let’s go to bed. I just want to hold you, make love to you, and forget the rest of the world exists for about eight hours. Can we do that?”
She looked into his eyes; he still had a shadow of that tortured look he’d worn since his conversation with Storm. “Yeah, we can do that. But I’m not forgetting about your promise. We need to talk eventually.”
“I know, but not now. Not yet. Right now, I just need to be with you.”
• • •
Slater rose early the next morning, left Rocki sleeping, and headed downstairs to make coffee. He’d been up all night, wondering about his parents and thinking about Pop, Nicki, and Rocki. God, he was a mess.
He grabbed his phone and called his dad while he waited for the coffee to brew.
Pop picked up on the second ring. “I was just going to call you. Storm told me what happened. I’m sorry, son. I should have been the one to tell you.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I was about to when Rocki ran in upset with the news on Jackson. I needed someone to take care of her and you were the only one available. I was going to tell you just as soon as you came home. It’s not a conversation you have over the phone.”
“Storm had no problem with it.”
“Storm didn’t know I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell you. He loves Nicki. He’s worried about her. He’s worried about you and Rocki too.”
“Why didn’t you tell me as soon as you suspected. What the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking you needed time to get to know Nicki. You needed time to fall in love with her the same way we all did.”
“Pop.” Slater ran his hand through his hair, trying to clear his head. “I don’t know how to be a father. You’re the only father I remember. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t help but feel that Nicki would be better with anyone other than me. I wasn’t cut out to be a dad.”
“Slater, listen to me. You’re going to be a wonderful father. Nicki already loves you. If I had any question about whether or not you could handle Nicki, I would never put either of you in a situation—I’ve seen the damage that can cause. I’ve raised you, I know you, and believe me, I have no question that you’re going to be an incredible father if that’s what you want.”
“If you’re right about Nicki’s paternity, what I want is a moot point.”
“Not necessarily—there are always options. Have you decided what you want to do?”
“I don’t know what I want, but I know what I have to do. I’m going to do what needs to be done. I’m going to take a paternity test and go from there.”
“Have you talked to Rocki about this?”
“She knows Nicki might be mine, but as for any plans, no, I haven’t.”
“Secrets are never a good thing—they make a relationship more like an obstacle course than a Ferris wheel ride. Now that Jackson’s on the mend, it sounds as if it’s a good time for you and Rocki to sit down and have a conversation. Oh, and as for the paternity test, all you have to do is go to a lab and have them swab the inside of your cheek—no needles involved. You can take care of it when you get home and we’ll see if we can’t put a rush on it. Still, it has to be done at an approved lab. That way it will be admissible in court if you ever have the need to fight Marisa for parental rights.”
“That doesn’t look like it’s going to be an issue.”
“It might become one if you sign the contract with OPEC that FedEx just dropped off. Money might not make a difference to the friends Rocki has made here, but if Marisa catches the scent of money, you can bet your ass she’ll be circling like a shark at a blood bath. Best to have incontrovertible proof that Nicki’s yours. Do you want me to overnight the contract to you?”
“No, not yet. Let me see what’s going on here first. I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. And Slater, I’m really sorry you had to find out this way, but I’m proud of you, son.”
Slater only wished he could be half as proud of himself. He felt like a total failure as a man. Chances were he had a kid, a great kid, and the whole idea of it scared him more than anything in his entire life.
• • •
Slater had never been so happy to see Red Hook. Anything was better than being stuck in a car with Jackson Sullivan for six hours. “We’re here.”
He nudged Rocki awake and checked the rearview and spotted Jackson checking his e-mail again. The man’s hand seemed to have grown around his phone.
“Jackson, Pop said you could crash in the extra bedroom. My brother Logan and his girlfriend, Skye, seemed to have worked things out and are staying in the other apartment, so Rocki and I will just go back to her place tonight.” And not a moment too soon. He needed some time alone with Rocki.
Slater parked, carried Jackson’s bag upstairs, and was greeted by the welcoming—or in his case, the not so welcoming—committee. Pop, both brothers, and their significant others were there. Shit. Storm and Logan looked as if they were sharpening their axes. Pop, Bree, and D.O.G. were the only ones happy to see him.
The dog barked and gave him a doggie hug and Pop boosted himself out of his chair. “Hey, you’re home. How was the trip?”
“Long.” He dropped Jackson’s bag and looked around. “Where’s Nicki?”
Storm mumbled something that sounded a lot like “Surprised he noticed she isn’t here.”
Slater chose to ignore the comment.
Pop stepped in front of Storm. “Nicki’s spending the night over at Francis and Patrice’s place.”
“Isn’t it a school night?”
“Yeah, but Patrice is taking her and the girls to Nicki’s school tomorrow. Nicki’s in a play and Patrice made her costume so she’s going to see it with Cassie and Callie. I’d go, but I have a doctor’s appointment that can’t be rescheduled.”
“I didn’t know Nicki was in a play.”
Pop looked surprised that he cared—what did Pop think he was, an ogre?
“She has the part of Gerda in The Snow Queen.”
He’d never heard of it. “What time?”
“The information is on the bulletin on the refrigerator where it’s been since you were in school.”
Rocki and Jackson made their way in, so Slater turned to make the introductions. “Jackson Sullivan, this is Pete Calahan.”
Pop shook Jackson’s hand, “Good to finally meet you, son. You had all of us worried. I’ve never seen Rocki so upset. Do you want to get off your feet?”
Jackson laughed. “No, thanks. I’ve been off my feet for days. It feels good to stand.”
Slater cleared his throat. “My brother Storm Decker and his wife, Bree, are over there by the kitchen, and my brother Logan Blaise is on the couch with his girlfriend, Skye Maxwell.
“It’s nice to meet everyone.”
Rocki made the rounds hugging everyone—even Storm.
Bree played hostess. “Have you eaten already? I made sure to make plenty for dinner. Can I make you each a plate, get you something to drink?”
Slater nodded. “I’d love a beer. Jackson?”
“Water for me, thanks.
I have to take my antibiotics and then if you don’t mind, I’d like to crash. I’m sorry I’m not good company tonight, but the drive took a lot out of me.”
Bree shot Slater the same look she’d always used when they were kids and she was about to boss him around. “Sure, not a problem. Slater, take Jackson’s bags to the spare room and show him where everything is. I’ll send Rocki in with the water.”
Ten minutes later, he and Rocki were out the door. As soon as it was shut, he grabbed Rocki, pushed her up against the wall and did the one thing he’d been waiting all day to do. He kissed her, long and hard and deep.
So long and hard and deep he realized too late that he should have waited until they got to her place. Once he had a taste of her, he wanted to do anything but stop. The only reason he did was because he didn’t think either of them would appreciate being caught making love at the top of the stairs, and his brothers were certain to come out of the apartment anytime. He removed his hands from her ass and backed off.
Rocki’s eyes were wide, her lips were swollen, and her cheeks were flushed. “What was that for?”
“Think of it as an appetizer. I’ve been hungry for you all damn day, but I didn’t think I could get away with making out with you in front of your brother.”
“You’re probably right.” She took his hand and took off down the steps to the street. “How fast can you drive?”
CHAPTER 18
Slater watched Rocki take a sip of her coffee and stare bleary-eyed at him. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”
“To Nicki’s school play? Sweetheart, if your brother wasn’t at Pop’s apartment with a bunch of strangers, I’d say, hell yeah, but one of us should be there with him on his first day, and I have a feeling he’d prefer to see you.”
She looked exhausted and he felt a twinge of guilt. It hadn’t helped that he and Rocki had slept in her twin bed—though to say they slept was a real stretch. Slater soon realized that sleeping practically on top of each other wasn’t conducive to sleep—it was conducive to making love. Not a hardship for him, but the lack of sleep was really catching up with Rocki.
“Take lots of pictures.”